CHALLENGES TO WEIMAR GERMANY 1918-23
Largely, because of the consequences of World War 1, the period of Weimar Germany between 1919 and 1923 was a tumultuous one. The fledgling German Republic faced threats to its existence from the Treaty of Versailles, the far left and the far right. The video below is about threats to Germany from the Treaty of Versailles.
The video below is about threats from the far left (The KPD or Spartacists- German Communist Party).
The video below is about threats from the far right (The Freikorps and the Nazi Party)
The reasons for Weimar Germany's problems during this period can be summed up like this:
1. The economic and social consequences of fighting World War One.
2. Association with the Treaty of Versailles - it was called a 'dolschtoss' and a 'diktat' and the Weimar politicians who signed it were labelled the 'November Criminals'.
3. Rise of extremist political groups who were opposed to democracy . At this stage, the far right groups tended to be heavily influenced by the surviving members of the German military officer class who were supporters of the Kaiser and longed for his return. On the other side of the political spectrum, the far left were heavily influence by the Russian Revolution of 1917 and convinced that communism was the answer to Germany's problems.
When you examine these problems, it is hard to really blame Ebert and the Weimar government for the unrest that gripped Germany during this period. They were really trapped between a rock and a hard place. The problems brought by the war were unavoidable and were largely the fault of the previous regime. Additionally, they had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Versailles- failure to do so would have been catastrophic. The problems brought about by the Treaty were the fault of Britain and France. Finally, these problems created conditions within Germany that in turn gave rise to political groups that were determined to destroy the new government.
However, you can argue that the Weimar government did make some crucial mistakes in attempting to deal with these problems:
1. Asking the Freikorps to end the Spartacist Revolt. Ebert was a Social Democrat, who were a left of centre party, and the Spartacists (or KPD) were far left. They were both on the same side of the political spectrum, although the Social Democrats were more moderate that the Spartacists. Communists saw the act of asking the Freikorps (members of the far right) to fight the Spartacists as an act of betrayal by Ebert.
2. Fleeing Germany during the Kapp Putsch . Ebert was rescued by the German people who declared a general strike. However, he looked weak in the face of determined opposition and therefore encourage more resistance to democratic rule.
3. Printing off money to pay France following the occupation of the Rhineland. This led to the Hyperinflation Crisis that crippled the German economy and led to renewed socio-economic issues. However, the distress caused by this crisis created sympathy for Germany and helped to lead to the Locarno Treaties, the Dawes Plan and Germany's admittance to the League of Nations.
1. The economic and social consequences of fighting World War One.
2. Association with the Treaty of Versailles - it was called a 'dolschtoss' and a 'diktat' and the Weimar politicians who signed it were labelled the 'November Criminals'.
3. Rise of extremist political groups who were opposed to democracy . At this stage, the far right groups tended to be heavily influenced by the surviving members of the German military officer class who were supporters of the Kaiser and longed for his return. On the other side of the political spectrum, the far left were heavily influence by the Russian Revolution of 1917 and convinced that communism was the answer to Germany's problems.
When you examine these problems, it is hard to really blame Ebert and the Weimar government for the unrest that gripped Germany during this period. They were really trapped between a rock and a hard place. The problems brought by the war were unavoidable and were largely the fault of the previous regime. Additionally, they had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Versailles- failure to do so would have been catastrophic. The problems brought about by the Treaty were the fault of Britain and France. Finally, these problems created conditions within Germany that in turn gave rise to political groups that were determined to destroy the new government.
However, you can argue that the Weimar government did make some crucial mistakes in attempting to deal with these problems:
1. Asking the Freikorps to end the Spartacist Revolt. Ebert was a Social Democrat, who were a left of centre party, and the Spartacists (or KPD) were far left. They were both on the same side of the political spectrum, although the Social Democrats were more moderate that the Spartacists. Communists saw the act of asking the Freikorps (members of the far right) to fight the Spartacists as an act of betrayal by Ebert.
2. Fleeing Germany during the Kapp Putsch . Ebert was rescued by the German people who declared a general strike. However, he looked weak in the face of determined opposition and therefore encourage more resistance to democratic rule.
3. Printing off money to pay France following the occupation of the Rhineland. This led to the Hyperinflation Crisis that crippled the German economy and led to renewed socio-economic issues. However, the distress caused by this crisis created sympathy for Germany and helped to lead to the Locarno Treaties, the Dawes Plan and Germany's admittance to the League of Nations.